AP released a story about fish bombing in Komodo and the reported lack of enforcement in the park area by ranger patrols. The arguments have been going for years as many people have argued over how Komodo has been mismanaged by the Indonesians who took over management a few years ago. It is a shocking piece. For those who've dived the area since the 90s, you'll have seen the decline, then improvement, then rapid decline again. Is illegal fishing a part of life in Indonesia? Definitely! Was the park in recovery from the damage in the late 90s? Most definitely! Has it begun to show decline due to diver and illegal fishing damage? Unfortunately yes. Perhaps this public outcry will keep the park officials on their toes with more enforcement.

Please help by posting comments to protect the area, especially in the Jakarta Post.

Here's a video of the damage that's been recently discovered.

[youtubehd]T8cDFKzgimY[/youtubehd]

The Indonesian authorities did react once the original reports of bombing were released in early March. However, the patrols need to be constant and vigilant, not merely a reaction to news. Let's keep them on their toes!

Drew
Moderator
"Journalism is what someone else does not want printed, everything else is public relations."

"I was born not knowing, and have only had a little time to change that here and there.

Dear editor,I worked for the TNC conservation program in Komodo a decade ago, and I have been backfor short holidays and assignments since that time. It still is a spectacular area, a real asset toIndonesia. From my personal observations, I can confirm that the situation in Komodo hasdeteriorated over the past years---Fishing appears to be completely unregulated, and as far as Ican see the Park authority hardly uses their speedboats and patrol vessels for regularsurveillance. Finding out what the Park rules are is a real challenge---It takes time and expertknowledge on Park management systems. The text of official regulations is often unclear andambiguous. Any fisher would find it very difficult to get an answer to the question: “Am Iallowed to fish in Komodo, and, if so, where?”.The title of your article, and the response of the Head of the Park suggests that the problem ofKomodo is “destruction of dive sites”. I disagree. The real problem is much larger, and thestakes are much higher. This is not about a couple of dive sites. It is about sustainable fishing tothe benefit of local communities, and about sustainable, long-term income from responsibletourism. It is a scientifically proven fact that fisheries benefit from areas that are protected fromfishing---Such “no-take” areas help to keep surrounding fishing grounds healthy. Many fishersand fish traders I talked with actually agree with this idea. What is unacceptable to them,however, is to see how other fishers may get away with breaking the rules. This is exactly thesituation one gets if rules are unclear and if there is hardly any visible surveillance.The Head of the Park proudly states that they have arrested blast fishers over the past years,and I applaud the efforts of the Park rangers who have been involved in this dangerous work---I know some of them, and in my opinion they are among he most professional and dedicatedlaw enforcers I have ever worked with. Arresting a group of fishers who are armed with fishbombs is not for the faint-hearted! Still, these dangerous encounters could have been avoided ifthe Park authority would have kept their field presence high through regular patrols. Also, thePark authority should work with local fishing communities to keep out fishers who are notfrom the Komodo area, and the Park authority should make an effort to explain zoningregulations in clear terms. This will create support for zoning regulations among localcommunities, even if it means that some areas within this National Park will be closed tofishing, and, yes, this will also result in the preservation of some of the world’s finest divesites.Dr Peter J. Mous, Fisheries and Protected Area Specialist

Drew
Moderator
"Journalism is what someone else does not want printed, everything else is public relations."

"I was born not knowing, and have only had a little time to change that here and there.